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Quantum Day Is Coming: Are Your Systems Ready?

ResultStack | August 22, 2025

Most CTOs aren’t thinking about quantum computing yet.

They should be.

Earlier this year, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) set 2030 as the target date for organizations to migrate to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). That means businesses have just five years to prepare for what could be the single biggest security shift in decades.

For enterprises running hundreds of systems and applications, five years isn’t much time. Just think about your last major ERP migration or compliance overhaul, those took years. Post-quantum readiness will be no different.

Why This Matters

Quantum computers will fundamentally change cybersecurity. While today’s public-key cryptography is virtually unbreakable with classical computing power, a sufficiently advanced quantum computer will be able to solve those problems exponentially faster.

The most immediate risks are:

RSA encryption (2048/3072-bit keys) – Could be broken in hours or days with a large enough quantum computer.
Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) – Widely used for SSL/TLS, VPNs, and blockchain. Also vulnerable.
Digital Signatures – At risk of forgery, jeopardizing software updates, identity verification, and financial transactions.

This means that everything from online banking to healthcare records to national infrastructure could be exposed once quantum machines reach scale.

The “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” Threat

One reason urgency is high: attackers don’t have to wait until quantum computers are ready. They can harvest encrypted data today and simply decrypt it later when quantum machines are powerful enough.

That means sensitive information, medical records, financial data, government files, stolen now could be exposed in a matter of years. For organizations in regulated industries, this risk is especially serious.

Post-Quantum Preparation Checklist

To get ready, businesses should begin tackling three phases of work:

1. Inventory & Discovery

Map where cryptography is used across your systems (databases, APIs, file storage, communications).
Identify third-party vendors and SaaS platforms that use cryptographic libraries.
Document dependencies on public-key cryptography.

2. Migration Planning

Understand NIST’s PQC standards: CRYSTALS-Kyber (key establishment) and CRYSTALS-Dilithium (digital signatures) are front-runners.
Work with vendors to confirm when and how they will support PQC standards.
Build a roadmap that aligns upgrades with business cycles (e.g., ERP refresh, cloud migrations).

3. Testing & Pilots

Begin testing PQC algorithms in non-critical environments.
Evaluate hybrid cryptography approaches (classical + quantum-safe) to ease transition.
Train IT and security teams on PQC best practices.

Why Waiting Isn’t an Option

History tells us that late adoption leads to chaos:

Y2K: Companies that waited until 1999 scrambled to find COBOL programmers.
GDPR: Organizations that delayed compliance faced heavy fines and operational disruption.
TLS deprecation: Businesses that failed to upgrade lost the ability to transact securely online.

Post-quantum migration will be even more disruptive, and potentially business-ending for companies that delay.

The Smart Approach

The organizations that succeed will adopt a measured, phased strategy:

Start inventory now – Build a full cryptography map before you’re under deadline pressure.
Engage vendors early – Push partners to adopt PQC standards.
Test in parallel – Run pilots while classical systems are still safe.
Build awareness – Train leadership and technical staff on the urgency and the roadmap.